Kane Williamson, LSG’s next head coach? After trainwreck IPL 2026, Sanjiv Goenka set to rejig coaching staff

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are in dire need of change. After two splendid years in the Indian Premier League (IPL), qualifying for the Playoffs in the first two years, Lucknow are in a downward spiral. It started with Andy Flower and Gautam Gambhir leaving as the head coach and mentor of the franchise after the 2023 season.

LSG’s downward curve

Then, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka was involved in an on-field spat with KL Rahul, which resulted in the LSG captain leaving after 3 seasons. The results that year, 2024, weren’t great. The fight meant Rahul wouldn’t stay ahead of the mega auction either.

In a jiffy, LSG had lost their identity and the three biggest men who made the franchise what it was. LSG appointed Justin Langer after the IPL 2023 season as the head coach. Rishabh Pant was bought as Rahul’s replacement for INR 27 crore, and Zaheer Khan came on as the mentor for IPL 2025.

But it didn’t work. LSG finished 7th, winning just 6 matches in 2025. The support staff was reshuffled again. Zaheer left. Vijay Dahiya and Rajat Bhatia were let go as assistant coaches. Kane Williamson was brought on as a strategic advisor, and Tom Moody took over as the director of cricket ahead of IPL 2026.

Well, that hasn’t worked either. In fact, LSG has gone from bad to worse, finishing 10th for the first time. Now, it’s time to switch things up. There is speculation over Pant being sacked as captain. Moody even hinted at that after LSG’s last match of the season. But that won’t be all.

Williamson to replace Langer as LSG head coach?

In these 3 mediocre seasons – 17 wins in 42 matches – Langer has been the constant. His tenure as LSG’s head coach has been short of a failure. According to RevSportz, Langer is on a slippery slope. Williamson, who’s an active cricketer, is expected to be granted more responsibility.

What could that be? We aren’t sure yet. He could be named the batting coach, a role that’s unfulfilled at LSG at the moment. Maybe he’ll be named as the mentor, since that position has been vacant since Zaheer left. Or perhaps even the head coach.

One idea could be to name Moody as the head coach, considering he’s the director of cricket. But it’s believed that Williamson garners more respect in the dressing room since he’s a modern player who’s achieved quite a bit in the 21st century, and given his age, he can take LSG forward for many years.

LSG coaching staff for IPL 2026

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